The Other Petrova (NEW EDITION) (HIATUS)
by Lexxwonder
Summary: What would happen if Katherine wasn’t the only Petrova left? Her godmother, Desi, would give up everything to protect her daughter, and already has before. What else will she have to give as she defends her last family member from the most powerful vampires to ever exist? (Will go M)
1. One

**_A/n: Hey everyone! So, this was my very first book on FanFiction, and it definitely looks it. I want to revitalize it, so that I can finally update it. So, I'm going to be re-writing the chapters._**

**_I'm sorry that this wasn't the extra chapter that you all wanted for this story._**

**_Thank you for _****_your support during this revising!_**

**_—_**

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."

—Marilyn Monroe

———

_**Chapter One:**_

**Introductions**

———

"I apologize for my involvement," Lucy said solemnly before strutting back out the door.

They finally had her.

Katherine Pierce was currently incapacitated on the carpeted floor, just as the new Bennett witch in town had intended.

All it took was a small hex to take down the bitch that had manipulated the Salvatore brothers' lives for over a hundred years. A passing breath of relief escaped the forever brooding Stefan's mouth, the weight of Elena's possible death at the hands of her evil doppelgänger had been intense to say the least.

Hopefully, this would be the end to their trouble.

Little did they know, a pair of large, very _interested _dark eyes were witnessing the entire masquerade encounter, smirking with pouty red lips as she took a dainty sip of her whiskey. The plan from here was simple, she'd simply have to follow those two dashing young men wherever they stashed Katerina.

After?

Well, obviously she intended to save her daughter from all this distress.

And so, the beautiful woman in red waited for the group of unsuspecting supernaturals. Waited for the perfect opportunity to slip in..

—

_**The Tomb**_

—

The large boulder was a tad bit heavier than she had anticipated, but, it wasn't too overwhelming for her, thank heavens.

If she had the constant strength of a vampire, this wouldn't be near as intense— but oh well, she'd just have to remember to grab something to eat in town before visiting this place again. Light poured into the inky blackness of the cavern, and at first she didn't see or hear much within, until she saw the shift in shadow in the darkness, moving her way.

Katerina's small, lithe frame appeared from around a bend of murky rock. She gasped as she took in the woman's face from the opening of the cave, and it was a fair reaction considering the circumstances.

"_M-Mama **Desi**..?_" the vampire doppelgänger whispered, clearly knowing who she was seeing but not believing it quite yet.

A soft smile broke out on the other woman's lips as she finally got to see her goddaughter in person and be recognized in return. Albeit, under less than happy circumstances.

Desi's eyes watered as she saw Katerina's disbelieving brown eyes soften just a little at the one woman who loved her no matter what she did.

"_Zdravei_, my precious girl," Desi whispered brokenly as tears rolled down her tanned cheeks speaking an odd mixture of English and Bulgarian.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't get here sooner, I swear to you that I would have come much sooner, had I been able to find you. You always were so very talented at hide and seek."

Katerina's eyes glistened as she heard Desi's voice for the first time in five hundred years. In any other state she would have questioned the angle, or if she was hallucinating, but at this moment of weakness she didn't care.

Katerina Petrova just wanted her mother.

She stumbled as quickly as her semi-desiccated form would allow towards her favorite person from childhood. Unfortunately, this state of being didn't allow for much grace; so, she tripped over a rock, only to be held up by strong, soft arms wrapping around her just as they used to. Katerina felt her godmother's warm tears on her shoulder as Desi held her close, and she squeezed her back in turn, but was alarmed and pulled when she realized something.

Or rather, a _lack _of something.

"Why don't you have a heartbeat?"

Vampires had heartbeats— albeit incredibly slow ones— but, there was nothing pumping in Desislava's rib cage at _all. _

Mama Desi _clearly_ wasn't a vampire or human. It'd been over five hundred years and she hadn't aged a day; she even had a healthy flush to her as Katerina held her away at arms length. Katerina gazed up into her godmother's warm brown eyes as Desi brushed her daughter's tangled locks away from her face before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I will explain all, dearest," Desi said in a soothing voice, "but first things first. You look absolutely starved and I refuse to let my goddaughter remain in such a state."

Desislava quickly grabbed her satchel that she had dropped by the cave entrance and revealed several blood bags within.

"I would've brought a human, but it's a bit of a hike to this little cave and I didn't feel like carrying the extra baggage," she quipped, handing one bag to her goddaughter. Katherine on the other hand was eyeing her god mother with increasing suspiciousness as she snatched the blood bag.

Katerina tore into the first in a vicious manner, moaning as the sweet O negative blood soothed her burning insides. She quickly drained and tossed it reaching for the next bag just as her mother pulled it out of her reach.

"Katerina, you know I'm not one to deny you of much, but I advise you to keep these two blood bags as a reserve. Those insipid, albeit adorable, Salvatore brothers will be back to check on you at some point. I don't want you to starve if I can't come back on a regular basis because of your boy toys."

As much as Katherine wanted to drink those bags dry, she knew her Desi had a point, and that she'd have to act like she was near death to throw off the Salvatores from figuring out she had a supplier on the outside. The doppelgänger took an exhausted seat on the ground, gesturing for Desi to do the same. Desi quickly situated herself on the ground next to her, and this is one of the reasons that Katerina loved her godmother so.

Desislava was never afraid to get her hands dirty when she wanted to, and Katherine acknowledged that she probably got that facet of her personality from her. Mama Desi had never cared about the opinions of others, always being aware that no one else mattered in the grand scheme of things, and it was up to her to find her own individual happiness.

Katerina also took in her godmother's full modern appearance.

Desislava, as always, maintained an air of timeless elegance; a certain grace that typically came from those of high standing, and it was something that a younger Katherine had always admired in her godmother. Katerina's mother was a homely woman, a woman who was altogether mousy in her appearance and manner. Because of this, Katherine had the unique perspective of watching her mother be jealous of her godmother. This influence that Desi had over other people, especially her mother, was something that she wanted for herself.

She wanted to be like Desi, because Desi _always_ held people's attention.

And Desislava had certainly maintained that quality in spades up to today.

Her long dark lashes framing very intelligent, nearly hypnotic eyes, and pouty pink lips had stunned many in Katerina's village, and she had been well-renowned as a beauty of goddess proportions. Desi's thick dark hair framed her tanned face and olive-toned shoulders, and although she was just wearing a lacy tank top and black skinny jeans tucked into leather booties, she kept that regal ambience that Katherine desperately tried to emulate in childhood.

Desi then spoke, shaking Katherine out of her analysis.

"Go ahead, Katerina, I know you must have many questions."

Katherine takes a couple moments to think on it before speaking.

"Mama, forgive me for being blunt," she starts, the caution for someone else's feelings feeling foreign on her tongue, "but I know for a fact I saw your corpse littered among the rest of us remaining Petrova five hundred years ago. How the _hell_ are you alive?"

Desislava let out a chuckle at her daughter's brashness and just how grown up she was, her loss of innocence blazingly apparent.

"Well, I'd say something cliché like 'that's a long story', however we both know I don't have the patience to be coy. Long story short, I made a deal with a witch," Desi promptly supplied.

"What was the deal?"

Desi's dark eyes swirled with apprehension before finally sighing, "Do you remember when you were sixteen and wandered too far from the village?"

Katerina shook her head, memories of her childhood blurred to near obscurity aside from the few years before her meeting the Originals and turning.

"Well," Desi started with a slight upturn of her lip, thinking of how to condense five hundred years of misery and servitude in a few minutes, "I guess 500 years would take a toll on your earliest memories. When you were young, maybe three or four, you ate something in the woods that nearly killed you. Your poor little body was so overcome with fever that you could barely breathe, so I went to seek help, and... I definitely found something like that.

"There were rumors in the village of a demon that would make you a deal in dire times, in return for your soul. The rumors were wrong on one front— there was no demon, just a powerful witch named Isadora.

"However her deals were just as pricey as the stories said. Our deal was that you would heal, and when I died, I would be employed under her services as what humans call a 'succubus' until she died. A vampire, so to speak, that feeds on sexual desire.

"So, when Niklaus and his lovely band of murderers came for us, I was indebted to the witch until about six months ago when the old hag finally died. Now, I'm just your average succubus wandering and feeding on the lust of men and women."

Katerina just blinked at her for a few moments, digesting her godmother's sacrifice.

Her sharp brown eyes constantly flickered over Desi's face for any sign of a lie, but found none.

"Do all of the regular vamp rules apply to you, then?"

Desi shook her head, closing her eyes and leaning back against the stone wall.

"Nope, for example I can definitely walk out of this witchy trap unlike any of your kind. Or are you asking if there's a way for me to die?" She asked teasingly, already knowing that as long as she wasn't a threat to Katerina, her daughter would never betray her willingly.

Katherine chuckled softly at that before leaning her head against Desi's shoulder, "You're all I've got left, Mama Desi. It's me and you from here on out."

Desi smiled, grabbing the cheap bottle of whiskey she brought out of her bag before downing a deep gulp of it and passing it to Katerina who promptly took a swig as well.

"Just you and me, precious," Desi pauses briefly, laughing warmly at something private before adding, "I'd say that I'd get you out of here as soon as possible, but we both know this might be the safest place for you when they come to town."

—

_Mystic Falls High School_

—

Desislava was just a bit excited to flex her acting abilities.

Her presence at the high school campus was definitely noticed by the student body, all seemingly fixated on the leggy brunette— but that's how it always was.

There's no way to stay inconspicuous when every fiber of your being is meant to entrance your meals to come to you. Desi was never _not _watched. It made some things easy, and some things difficult—but it worked for her here.

Her dark hair was slightly curled and tossed over her shoulder as she strutted up to the main entrance in black stilettos. Desi _was_ and always _would be_ sex on legs, no matter what she wore. And in the case of her red button up shirt and slacks, it was no different.

As she entered into the main hallway towards the office, her dark eyes caught sight of a lovely bubbly blonde next to a tanned, broad shouldered boy with very attractive features. Watching the energy's around them fluctuate, Desi can already tell they're supernatural, and it was so refreshing to see so many in one place.

That must be Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood.

They were delicious looking, but entirely too young for her taste. They'd be too sweet. Nearly gave her a toothache thinking about it. Sexual energy was like chocolate, everyone liked different percentages of different ingredients. Desi personally loved snacking on bitter souls, and those only came after either hardship or age.

She felt Tyler and Caroline's gaze follow her on the way into the main office, riding a bit of a high feeling from the werewolf's lusting gaze. Supernatural entities always had slightly more potent emotions, and one of Desi's many attributes as a succubus was knowing when someone wanted her, and being able to taste a bit of what their lust would taste like.

Like she thought, _too sweet._

The small black woman behind the secretarial desk peaked up at her before outright staring and blinking owlishly.

"Hello," Desislava said soothingly, allowing a bit of her ability to compel with her voice slide through, "My name is Eve McCall, I'm supposed to be a substitute for your resident art teacher, I believe his name was Mr. Allen?"

The secretary was clearly enchanted by Desi's presence and smiled warmly at her, "Oh yes, shame that he took ill. But, it'll be just fine with you here. Just sign in real quick and I'll have one of our students guide you to the art room before class begins. Please, take a seat! Would you like some tea while you wait?"

Desi, or _Eve_, smiled graciously while nodding.

She learned long ago to accept anything someone gives you out of kindness. It makes you seem more endearing when you accept gifts. After receiving the styrofoam cup of tea, Desi watched as the secretary leaned outside the office before flagging down one of the students.

In walked the beautiful Caroline, who happened to also be Vice President of the student council. Walking straight up to Desi with a sunny smile, Caroline Forbes firmly shakes the succubus' hand in introduction, and Desi would be the first to say that the vampiress appeared to be sunny and perky.

Two of her favorite attributes in a person.

Caroline led Ms. McCall down the hallway feeling entirely giddy about the new teacher. She felt almost oddly fond of her immediately, and knew that she would very much like to be her friend. Well, if that was alright with Ms. McCall.

—

The shifting of stone rang throughout the cave yet again and Katherine slowly walked towards the entrance, crossing her fingers that it's the one person she actually wanted to see.

The Salvatores were brilliant eye candy, but rather dull company after a few minutes of barely veiled threats presented as deals. Not to mention, Katherine thought that she might stake herself if she had to talk to her naive baby doppelgänger again this soon.

Her brown eyes were grateful to see her godmother strutting through the entrance in professional attire. "How have you been, precious? I'm sorry it took so long, but your little soldier boys can't seem to stay away from here for too long."

"The usual— being bored stiff. I almost prefer running for my life compared to this," Katherine pauses briefly, sighing audibly through her nose before looking up at Desi again with a glint in her eyes. "However, I do have some information that you might like to be aware of— specifically, that the Salvatores are trying to break the curse of the moonstone."

"They're handing over the doppelgänger?" Desi asked incredulously. She didn't think that their love for her was that flimsy, but who knew?

"Of course not," Katherine replies, "they're not smart. They're just trying to get rid of the binding agent on the spell so that Klaus won't try to sacrifice little Elena."

"And they think that Klaus won't reap his vengeance for ruining the sacrifice?"

Katherine shrugged at her question, "Like I said, they aren't smart."

Blinking, Desislava was a bit appalled at the lack of logic involved in this plan.

"_Obviously_," Desi sighed, slightly annoyed that they were so thoughtless with precious cargo. "I mean they are adorable, precious. But, you seem to have maintained the habit of picking the not-so intellectually-inclined. I hope you know, this means I might have to get more directly involved."

Katerina's head snapped up at her words, "Are you sure, Mama Desi? No offense, but I don't think you'd be the most welcome addition to the Loser's Club."

Desi chuckled, her pink lips curling into a lovely grin, "_IT_ references? Still as amusing as ever. Besides that point though, they can't kill me. I have viable information on the big, bad Originals they're after. Also, if _you_ don't know how to kill me, I highly doubt those children do."

Katherine looked up at her godmother with scrutiny at her statement. "What information do you _have_ on the Originals, exactly?"

"You're not the only one who has played with the Original family before," Desislava said with a wry smile, "Personally, I've flirted with them all, as is my nature. However, I've only ever really been with Rebekah and Kol. It was before I knew they were related, of course. Heaven knows the two don't look _anything_ alike."

Katherine's eyes widened as she smiled in disbelief and good humor, "I always knew my passionate lifestyle wasn't something I got from good ol' Mom and Dad."

The older woman's dark eyes sparkled in amusement as she tossed Katerina a new blood bag. "I'll be on my way now, dearest, I'll come and visit again soon to give you an update on the whole 'hybrid' situation."

And with that Desislava strutted out of the room, a certain determination set in her posture as she made her way to the Salvatore Boarding House.

Katerina smiled wryly to herself, "Well, at least things are going to get more interesting."

—

Desislava had arrived at the infamous Salvatore Boarding House, and it was just a niche as Katerina had described it.

She was sure that to some people this would be a very fine home but to her, it looked like something a podunk lumberjack would enjoy, and Desi was anything besides that.

She gracefully ascended the stairs leading to the front door and could hear the brothers discussing the risk of Niklaus with Rose. Desi proceeded to knock on the door, not particularly caring that she was interrupting, and was met by gorgeous piercing blue eyes that widened when they took in her appearance.

Damon Salvatore had been around for a long time. Done the song and dance, slept in many a woman's bed.

He's seen them all: blondes, brunettes, redheads, tall, short, long hair, short hair, and every color of eyes under the rainbow. But, when he opened the front door, he knew he had never felt this intense magnetism to anyone.

And he had never seen such alluring dark eyes.

Long chocolate waves framed her face, which held a straight nose, expressive dark eyes swirling with a bit of mischief, and the most kissable pink lips he had ever seen.

The enticing stranger was dressed in business attire, a white button up blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt, leading down to long shapely legs coated in black pantyhose and finished with black stilettos. She was absolutely stunning, everything that was attractive wrapped up in a flawless package, and Damon wasn't quite sure of what to make of her.

He vaguely heard steps behind him and felt the presence of his brother, who also seemed stunned by the woman at the door. It was oddly reminiscent of when the pair had met Katherine on that fateful day in 1864. Stefan's reaction was quite similar, and the younger brother felt a pang of guilt when he noticed just how enraptured he was by the woman's presence.

The complete knockout offered her hand out to shake Damon's, giving both Salvatores a devastating smile. Had they paid closer attention, they would see that there was something _eerily _familiar about her, but they were a bit distracted in all fairness.

"Hello," she greeted confidently with a slight accent, and Damon mentally groaned.

Her damned _voice_ was even enthralling, what painting did she walk out from?

But, the stranger continued as if she didn't notice the vampire's ogling stares, simply politely smiling, "My name is Desislava, but you can both call me Desi. I'm here because I hear that you're interested in learning about the Sun and Moon curse..?"

And just like that, both of the brothers' eyes hardened in suspicion.

"And what would you know about it, gorgeous?" Damon asked, flirting as per the usual, but anyone who knew him well knew that there was a dangerous undercurrent to it. The brunette gave out a laugh that reminded Stefan of wind chimes, shaking her head.

"Calm down. I don't work for _Klaus-y_. However, I would like to discuss this inside, if that's alright?"

Damon chuckled darkly, trying to ignore the intense attraction he felt towards this woman. And like the universe hated him, Damon suddenly felt Rose's presence enter the hallway.

The green eyed vampiress freezes before she even says anything, eyes wide as she looked at Desi in shock.

"_Desi?" _Rose asked incredulously, unsure if she was dreaming.

The Salvatores snapped their eyes to the woman who had previously kidnapped Elena, before quickly moving back to Desi to gauge her reaction.

"Oh, hello Rosie, it's lovely to see you once again," Desi said in a slightly lower seductive timber, very much remembering her wonderful interaction with Rose just a decade ago.

The vampiress immediately sped over to her, glancing up at the slightly taller woman with blown green eyes. _Oh yes_, her lust rolled off her in droves to Desi, and the succubus realized that little Rosie must remember their encounter _very_ well.

Stefan suddenly pulled Rose away from the gravitational pull that was Desi, turning her to face him. "You know this woman?"

As Rose began fervently assuring the younger brother that she knew her, and that Desi was good for the info, Damon had his blue eyes glued to Desislava's figure trying to figure out her angle. Trying to figure out almost with a glance why she was here and how she knew about everything, as if just scanning her would give him the answers he wanted.

That's what he told himself he was doing anyway.

Desi's thick brow arched in slight amusement, before gently pushing Damon to the side to get through the door. Damon couldn't physically push against her, or deny her request to let herself in, and it deeply confused him until he started focusing.

His blue eyes widened and he vamp sped over to Desi, pinning her by her shoulders against the wall. Damon ignored the strange shivers of pleasure that coursed down his spine as he touched her. He didn't know why he was so physically against wrapping his hand around her slender throat, but he didn't care— as long as the black-haired vampire got answers and _quick_.

Stefan and Rose both looked on, stunned at Damon's aggressiveness.

"What the _hell_ are you?" He growled out menacingly, but Desi only gave him a sweet smirk back, her eyes swirling with overwhelming playfulness.

"I don't get at a drink first before you rough me up? I thought you'd have better etiquette, considering your age."

Her tone was completely teasing, showing no fear, and that's when the other two vampires realized that the lovely brunette didn't have a sound coming from her chest.

Desislava was still wearing a pretty grin as she gazed at the vampire holding her. The succubus knew she was in no danger, not only were her pheromones freely dancing across the entire boardinghouse, but the long heady waves of lust rolling off the ravenette were so strong she could nearly taste it.

Desi licked her pink lips, watching Damon's baby blues flick over them in amusement as she slowly lifted her hands in mock surrender.

"If you'd _really_ like to know, Salvatore, all you need to do is guide this conversation to the sitting room," Desi's eyes appraised him in mock-seriousness, "After all, unsavory news is best served with a glass of something strong."

Damon's lust blown eyes were straining to maintain focus before he slowly released his grip on her shoulders. The elder Salvatore was definitely not afraid to get his hands dirty for information— however, he could see in her dark oak eyes a resiliency that would be very difficult to break.

This was a woman with _backbone, _and Damon would be lying if he said that it wasn't one of his favorite attributes in a woman.

Desi gave him a warm smile before turning her attention back to Rose and Stefan by the entryway. Extending her hand elegantly, like royalty waiting to be courted, she gestured for the green eyed vampiress to join her side. Rose was _more_ than happy to comply, promptly interlacing her fingers with Desi's.

The warm shivers that the small amount of contact gave the vampiress was gratifying for said green-eyed woman, to say the least. Rose couldn't stop the smile spreading across her pretty face as she guided the succubus into the living room.

Stefan felt that he needed to keep his mind busy to distract himself from the leggy brunette, so, he began pouring bourbon into four glasses from the crystal decanter.

He didn't understand his own emotions at the moment, all he knew was that he was _starving_. For what? Well, looking into that would only being trouble, whether it was the bloodlust or something else.

_Someone _else.

Stefan refused to acknowledge it, no matter how hard it was, purely because he felt so weighed down by his guilty conscience already that anymore burden might break him. As Desi sat on the chaise longue, crossing her long tan legs, the brooding vampire swallowed hard.

_This is going to be harder than I thought, _he admitted to himself.

"Thank you," Desi graciously accepted the crystalline glass of bourbon before fixating everyone with a glance as they all got comfortable with their drinks, "Now onto business. To answer the question that Damon so _rudely _asked, and to make you all feel a little bit better about the overwhelming tension in this room, I'll make this short and sweet: I'm a succubus."

...

Damon choked on his bourbon as the word escaped her lovely lips.

A demon?! A _sex _demon?

First werewolves, then the Originals, and now this, the ravenette was quickly getting annoyed by his own lack of knowledge when it came to the supernatural. It was almost like the last 150 years had done nothing to enhance his knowledgeability of the supernatural, even though he _was _one.

Stefan, on the other hand, was definitely surprised— but it was completely overthrown by the relief he felt. The almost ethereal lure of Desislava wasn't him being _weak_, her beauty affected everyone because that was her _purpose_.

Sharp blue eyes glared at swirling dark ones, "You're a _demon?_"

The dark orbs rolled back in lazy annoyance, "No, that is a common misconception though, and I'm not surprised that you baby vampires weren't aware of my kind," Desi's perceptive eyes glanced at the vampiress who hadn't said so much as a peep, "I'm glad that Rose here has heard of us though, it'll make explaining go by faster."

Rose nodded, and Desislava couldn't help but wonder if the other woman had figured out what she was. When they were last together, or if she realized as soon as she couldn't hear her heartbeat? Who _knew?_

"Succubi are basically vampires with a completely different set of rules. They don't feed on blood, they feed on lust. It can be desire from _anyone— _doesn't matter if they're supernatural in nature," Rose started, noticing that Desi had a bored expression on her face. Clearly the succubus hadn't wished to explain it all to the young vampires, and was irritated that they had to wait for her to explain.

"They can walk in the daylight and they don't die from 'the stake in the heart' bit," Rose continued, and Damon scoffed at the unfairness of it all.

"That sounds awful nice. What am I doing with all this vampire crap then?" Damon complains.

Rose rolls her pretty green eyes at Damon's ignorance as Desi's lips curl into a slightly amused smile, making said vampire suspicious.

"Succubi do have a lot of benefits," Rose continued again, adding, "_however_, the gift comes at a hefty price. They are turned by witches in exchange for something, and can only live freely after the witch who cursed them dies. The Succubi are complete slaves to their witch until then. No orders can be denied, even if the witch orders them to kill themselves."

The room seemed slightly colder after the green-eyed woman said that, and Rose glanced over at Desislava to ensure she hadn't overstepped her bounds.

Desi appeared completely unbothered on the outside, but one only had to look in her eyes to see the raging fires of resentment and hate glowing _strong_. Not at anyone in the room of course, but Desi couldn't ignore that the 500 years as a slave to Isadora and her whims had created an intense loathing for all things Wiccan-related, and even now she would feel twinges of fury when the servants of nature were brought up in conversation.

The Salvatore brothers found themselves in an amalgamation of emotion.

Damon felt an odd combination of nonchalance, pity, and maybe a hint of empathy. He knew better than most just how vindictive those little witches could be, and the blue-eyed vampire couldn't imagine having to _serve _one.

Stefan on the other hand was feeling a bit different, but no less conflicted. Compassion lingered in those forest green eyes as he looked at Desislava once again, his perspective of her changing slightly.

And Rose, overall, was worried that she had made Desi angry— not wanting to harm one of her favorite old flames in such a way.

Desi laughed derisively, changing the mood of the room with as much effort as it took to blink, "Now, now, don't feel too bad for me Salvatores. After all, you don't know what I made my deal for. Given the chance, I would do it over again. Which brings me to our next topic of discussion," she says, taking another sip of her drink before continuing.

"Generally, I make it a habit to stay honest with people because I believe it is the best way to not complicate relationships, business or _otherwise_," Desi said with a wink to Stefan, who felt his near-dead heart nearly skip a beat while Damon batted down a swirl of annoyance in his abdomen.

"So, to begin I'm going to talk to you a bit about your little curse, then I'm going to tell you what my angle is in all this, and at the end of this friendly discussion, I will offer you a deal in exchange for my help," Desi continued.

Damon chuckled dismissively, giving her a sarcastic smile, "And why would we _want_ yourhelp?"

Desi was never one to _not_ enjoy good banter, "Because, _Damon_," The man felt a shiver on his spine as she said his name, "I've got more than a couple years on you, and I can assure you that you'll want all the help you can get when Klaus comes to town to pick up your little doppelgänger."

His teasing blue eyes immediately turned into hard ice as she mentioned the human girl. Elena was a huge bargaining chip in her favor when it came to the Salvatores, and Desi knew she could use it as she pleased.

After covering the basics of the Aztec curse once again so that everyone was on equal footing about the sacrifice and Elijah's 'death', not to mention Slater's message, Desi began fervently explaining just how _important _the moonstone was.

If Katerina was as smart as Desi thought she was, she could use that rock to broker herself a deal. Whether it be for her freedom or for her to make a different agreement, Desi wanted to help make her less bored in that cave. Also, she had supplemented that it'd be beneficial to their efforts to locate the Original Hybrid.

Not that the Scooby Gang knew anything about _why _that bit of info was important, of course, but Desi knew she'd have to play a lot of her cards close to her chest.

One wrong move and she'd ruin any chance she had of playing the ringleader to this circus. And, there was no way her Petrova blood would settle for anything less than being the mastermind controlling the chessboard.

—

It was decided that Stefan and Damon would speak with Katherine about the moonstone the next day, but there remained a point to be discussed.

"Now that you have your little plan to execute, and I've helped you understand a bit more about who exactly you are up against— it's time for me to reveal something to you, so that way we can barter on equal playing fields," Desi stated with the sort of authority one expects from a politician. The three vampires' eyes narrowed, taking in her every word and mentally preparing for what she'd unveil.

"I'm not one for teasing when it comes to business deals. That's much more my goddaughter's business— however, I know you all are _very _familiar with her brand of business," Damon's icy eyes widened as he realized that Desi _had _looked familiar in a way he couldn't explain.

The quirk of her dark brow, the mischievous glint in her dark eyes, the playful smile that _always _played on her full lips. There was only one other person in the entire world that he knew had those qualities in spades.

_Katherine Pierce. _

Stefan was next to realize what exactly the dark haired woman was insinuating, and as soon as he had connected the dots, the likeness was uncanny. _Godmother? _Stefan wasn't so sure, they looked almost like sisters. And that's when the brooding younger Salvatore realized why they all hadn't noticed the similarities.

Desislava had blasted them with her Succubi charm the minute she knocked on the door. There was no way to properly study someone when your mind was a pheromonal mess.

_She had planned her entrance so that she could be the one to share that information. _The question remained as to why.

Desislava stood up gracefully as the brothers both did, both nearly snarling at her, and yet her face remained blank.

She sighed as if they were unruly children who needed to be scolded, brushing a loose lock of brown hair behind her ear daintily before bluntly stating, "Salvatores, if I desired to hurt you, I would have when I came in. You have no way to kill me, and trust me when I say that any 'torture' you could afflict on me would feel like BDSM compared to what my witch did to me. Please take a seat, like adults, so we can discuss my offer."

Damon practically recoiled at her sharp tone. "No offense, gorgeous, but your family has a tendency to be two-faced manipulators and I pride myself on not making the same mistake twice."

Desi's thick brow arched loftily, "And you both wanting to be with Katerina's double _isn't _making a the same mistake twice?"

Stefan finally spoke up, "Elena is _nothing _like Katherine."

Desislava lowered the glass of bourbon that she was still nursing back onto the table before fixing both angry vampires with a very grim look, her dark eyes hypnotizing in their intensity.

"If Elena is lacking the Petrova fire— if she lacks the backbone that Katerina has, your human will _not _survive the storm that's coming to this little podunk town."

———

**_Hi guys, I hope you enjoy the revised first of my fanfic The Other Petrova. Let me know who you're shipping in the comments!_**

**_Ciao!_**

**_———_**


	2. Two

"If there is only one thing in my life that I'm proud of, it's that I've never been a kept woman."

—Marilyn Monroe

———

**Chapter Two:**

_**Hello, Stranger**_

———

_"If Elena is lacking the Petrova fire— if she lacks the backbone that Katerina has, your human will not survive the storm that's coming to this little podunk town."_

_———_

Desislava was tired and hungry.

She'd been entertaining these vampires for over three hours and, frankly speaking, the three bloodsuckers had become a bore after the first hour.

She rolled her umber eyes at the dramatics of the two boys.

_Was it really that big of a deal that the little copy had to die? What's one teenage girl in the grand scheme of things?_

Desi was then hit by a sense of weighted hypocrisy. After all, her own goddaughter had thrown all else away to live— who was Desi to judge? She shook herself out of her reflection and once again caught the attention of the two argumentative brothers, snapping her fingers.

"Are you ready to discuss my offer now? Or should I wait another century?"

Stefan steeled his forest green eyes in preparation. No deal from a Pierce— wait, a _Petrova_— was going to work out in their favor.

The succubus most likely didn't care whether Elena lived or died, so she had to be working from another angle.

His brother's ice blue gaze landed on Stefan, silently asking if they should even bother listening. As much as Stefan wanted to give Desi the boot, his hands were quickly becoming tied in a seemingly never ending battle to keep Elena human and breathing.

He knew that their little group needed all the help they could get in this fight, and having another strong supernatural entity besides him, Damon, and Rose was an alluring idea, to say the least. As suspicious as she was, they were running out of time for pleasantries. Stefan gave the elder Salvatore a subtle nod; allowing Desi present her deal.

Damon's eyes hardened into sapphire chips as he glared at Desi's form after getting confirmation from Stefan.

The attractive woman was a wildcard thrown into an already unpredictable situation, but Damon had the sense to know that if they refused her deal, she'd be involved in the 'Klaus' debacle in one way or another. Even if it was siding with the _other_ team.

The elder Salvatore gestured for the succubus to proceed with her offer as he poured himself more bourbon. Heaven knew, he'd need it to get through tonight.

A professional smile that didn't reach her eyes was given in return.

"So, I believe in a balance when it comes to business interactions. Therefore, we can definitely make counter offers and barter if my original offer does not benefit you. We'll bargain until an agreement can be reached, of course. And in the case that we don't find an amiable solution, we all walk out of this room as alive and healthy as we came in."

All the participants gave a nod in consent to her preamble.

"Lovely, now I'll tell you what you get out of the deal first. I'll be a member of your dupe troop, and I will offer any and all assistance needed in protecting your human. You can call me at anytime, and I will promptly assist in whatever you require. Any spells that your pretty little witch casts that requires blood from a magical creature, I will gladly offer. Basically, you have me in your arsenal, and believe me when I say that I'm very skilled in the art of warfare and politics. If you require evidence to that fact I will gladly point you to the nearest world history book and show you my victories.

"Also, you can call upon me for any of my abilities. Whether it be for seduction, my strength, my speed (which, I also guarantee I'm quite a bit faster than any of your kind), or purely as a negotiator on your behalf. A honeypot would be a perfect way to infiltrate many of the forces that stand against you. And to top it all off, I'll throw in my old hag's grimoires to assist the little Bennett."

Both forest green and ice blue eyes listened to their half of the deal with increasing interest. This was a very good deal, so far.

Damon chuckled lightly, "And what are you asking for in return, gorgeous? To get your little princess out of the tomb? Because, that isn't happening any time soon."

A debutante's grin appeared over Desi's pretty pink lips, giving the handsome Damon a once over before replying, "Of course not. Klaus could be prowling in this town already. My goddaughter is safest exactly where she is. Although that does make me curious as to what she'll ask for in exchange for the moonstone."

Damon's smirk promptly dropped.

Stefan was the next one to interject his suggestions, "Well then, maybe you're asking for all information and input on our future plans. No offense, but I don't trust you, and there's no way you're securing that deal."

Desi once again arched a brow in amusement.

"I'm rather surprised you say that, considering you could very well lie to me about your intentions as well, however, I have no need of that. Your next moves are plain for me to read, and I've got a pretty good guess as to how all these cards are going to fall in the next few weeks. No, what I want is to act as an ambassador for you. When the Originals come, and they _will,_ whether you break the curse or not, I don't trust either of you not to fuck it up."

"That one," Desi gestured to Damon with her now empty glass, "is too impulsive to be trusted in negotiations, especially when it comes to Elena. And you," Desi then turned her dark intuitive gaze back to the younger Salvatore, "are also an unreliable variable seeing as you have a bit of a drinking problem, and if you have a slip up, I don't want that version of you to be a reflection on the group. And of course, little Rose can't go, Klaus will gladly kill her for what she did. And unlike Elijah— he won't care what factors played a part in her betrayal."

Silence permeated the Salvatore boardinghouse as they digested her words.

Damon was of course pleased with prospects of the deal, but felt more than a twinge of anger at her piercing words on just how inept he would be in the coming dangerous debates. He understood that he was a loose cannon, but he also hated to be reminded of it. And there was another twinge of suspicion. This deal sounded too good, and Damon was growing more and more frustrated at how he couldn't read her intentions.

On the other hand, Stefan's guilt was stirring in his gut, but along with that was definitely suspicion.

What was her angle?

And then, the forest green-eyed vampire realized that there was a verbal loophole in her offer. She never said that we would know what would be discussed in the negotiations. Of course! That had to be it. But once again, Desi cut off his spiraling train of thought.

"Also, to assuage your suspicions, I'll have the Bennett witch come with me to all meetings. Considering that she's the only one outside of the three of you who can somewhat defend herself, I believe she'd be the best option."

Rose was beside herself on this.

She knew that Desislava was completely correct in her assumptions.

However, she also knew from experience that the Petrova bloodline couldn't be trusted.

Not to mention, the freshly stirred emotions she felt about her old lover's return.

They had never been official of course, but Rose couldn't deny that she had loved Desi, and she didn't know what that meant a decade later.

Could Desi love me? Hope burned bright in her emerald gaze at the aforementioned woman, wanting desperately to be the one to be called hers.

Rose, of course, wasn't aware that Desi had only ever loved one being in her entire existence outside of her precious Katerina, and no one could take their place.

—

The Salvatores had decided to take the night to decide on her offer, and promptly traded contact information with Desi.

Everything is working out perfectly, she thought slyly to herself as she drove out of town to finally get something to eat. It was late, 9:03 P.M., to be exact— and Desi was quickly finding herself ravenous.

At this point she didn't care who it was, as long as she got something to sate her growing hunger.

She finally found herself a couple towns away at a throwaway seedy bar an hour later.

It would do well for the succubus' intentions. She could smell the arousal in the air from all the newfound couples flirting and necking each other. And that's when she saw something at the bar, something familiar.

A broad shouldered back fit neatly into his suit, dark brown hair just as she remembered from about 50 years prior.

Elijah Mikaelson turned around in his chair, quickly catching the scent of her, and she felt a delightful shiver as the Original scanned her almost methodically.

_Elijah is still the handsome beast in a suit I remember,_ she thought happily.

Desi hadn't come across an Original in quite a long time, and she was glad to see one of her favorites in such an unexpected place. Maybe her hunger could be fully satisfied tonight.

"Well, hello there, Elijah," she said teasingly, and she watched his hard, analytical oak eyes soften slightly, "Wasn't expecting to find a gentleman in this rundown bar."

He gave her a light smile of fondness, which was more than enough for most vampires who know of him to know she was a very welcome sight for sore eyes.

"Well, Desislava," he said in her Bulgarian dialect. Elijah always called her by her whole name, and it never failed to give her pleasure, "We gentlemen are often found in the least likely of places. Would you delight me with your company?"

_She'd gladly do more than that,_ she thought as she took a seat in the bar stool besides him, her shoulder brushing against his arm as she did so.

Elijah Mikaelson was not a man to be easily seduced by a woman.

He had learned that lesson very well after Katerina Petrova's betrayal.

Desislava Petrova, however, had always been a different story entirely.

Desi was not one to toy with someone's emotions, she made it known in her relationships with others that she would not become a kept woman for a very long time, and never led her lovers to believe otherwise. He could see many of Katerina's characteristics in Desislava, and that was perhaps why he was always fond of her. Always a flirt, but never a tease, a lesson that Katerina could never learn.

And in the eldest "living" Original's eyes, it made Desislava the better woman.

The succubus had made herself known to his family after she was introduced as Kol's date to one of their many balls over a hundred and fifty years prior, where she was promptly recognized as an old lover by Rebekah as well.

Elijah remembered in amusement the flush on her cheeks as the connection was made, frantically glancing between both Originals before flushing deeply in embarrassment.

It had been endearing to see a woman so lovely blush so deeply as if she was a young girl, and perhaps the start of their of his fondness for Desislava.

The gentleman would be the first to admit that at first, he thought her a common whore, particularly after learning her surname.

The Mikaelsons had been very thorough in their observations of her after that, trying to ensure that the lady was not there for vengeance against Niklaus. However, in the 60 years they all spent in her company, she had never expressed any ill will against his younger impulsive brother.

Elijah had once asked her about it, and all she replied was, "I am cursed to be loyal to a witch within Kol's party until she dies. I have to play the harlot to partake in food. It's been 363 years, and if I had the opportunity to break this foul malignancy, I would do anything to have my freedom. If someone took that from me at the last hour, I would react just as Klaus did. I should consider it lucky that when he learned my surname he only tortured me a bit."

Afterwards, she had become a close friend, of sorts, to Elijah, and as much as she flirted with him, he was decidedly nervous to cross that line.

However, it had been 50 years since he'd last seen her, and as soon as Elijah had felt her intoxicating presence he knew that the nervous attitude had been replaced entirely with his desire to be close to her. He'd never tell her that of course, but the strong feelings of fondness were not-so-easily ignored as to for him to do nothing with this opportunity.

So, as she eyed him up hungrily, and they both drank together, speaking of the past and how wonderful it truly was, Elijah was sure in his actions as he whispered in her ear, "Perhaps we might continue our conversation back at my hotel?"

To say that Desi was a bit stunned at the elder Mikaelson's offer would be an understatement, however she was never one to turn away a gift.

She might have lied to Katerina about her intentions while bedding with the other two Mikaelsons.

She'd gladly take the entire bunch if the offer was presented.

After all, they were positively divine in the bedroom so far. So, Desislava was quick to accept with a playful smile on her lips, very excited with how the evening was going so far. If Elijah happened to rock her world as well as the others had, she'd give him a gift herself, the gift of information.

Elijah elegantly stood from the barstool, offering his arm as he looked down at the exquisite Desislava. Desi's large dark eyes seemed to turn a shade darker as she slid her hand around the strong bicep.

God, she could feel the muscles underneath and they were **great**.

What an enticing man, this Elijah, she thought to herself.Elijah opened the passenger side door to his luxury vehicle for Desi to gracefully slide in, and promptly walked to the driver's side.

—SLIGHTLY MATURE SCENE—

—does not go full NSFW—

Desislava had never seen Elijah as animalistic as he was right now— downright predatory as he trailed his teeth over her collarbone, further confirming that he wanted to completely devour her.

The moment he had finished guiding her into his elegant hotel room, he had her pinned against the wall. Elijah's lips had aggressively taken hold of hers over and over, completely domineering in all ways, and Desi loved it.

That was one thing about the Mikaelsons she knew for damn sure— they were never the submissive ones.

Not that Desi minded at all— she was more than happy to take their roughness and dominating nature. It was a nice reprieve from being the one on top.

Elijah's large hands were sliding her pencil skirt up her tanned thighs, growling as he felt the pantyhose coating them.

Desislava could feel her hunger starting to overpower her as she felt the Original grip her bottom hard before lifting her further against the wall. She quickly wrapped her long legs around his torso earning another rough kiss from him.

He continued trailing his tongue and teeth down her neck, glancing up smugly as Desi moaned.

That's when he saw the most startlingly beautiful sight he had ever seen, her enticing dark umber pair replaced by something akin to amethysts around her irises. Her cheeks were flushed and her pouty lips swollen; hair tousled as a result of him running his hands through the silky brown strands. Her shirt roughed up and unbuttoned several buttons, the woman in front of him couldn't be compared to a mere model.

Elijah felt that he had never seen a more arousing sight in his existence; and while he knew part of it was the delicious scent of her pheromones permeating the air, he promptly decided he didn't care. Desi was all his for tonight, and he would not take this opportunity for granted.

A sudden burst of vamp speed and suddenly Desi found her back bouncing on his soft mattress. Giggling, she attempted to right herself, looking at the elder Mikaelson lasciviously as he prowled around her, slipping off his Italian

Elijah was a tempting sight at the moment, to say the least.

Dark eyes hungry, tie loosened with a couple of his buttons popped off from her iron grip moments ago, prowling around the edge of the bed.

He stalked over to her slowly, taking in her appearance with an analytical eye, as if committing it all to memory. And that's when he slowly took off her black stilettos, kissing the inside of her pantyhose covered calf as he did so. It sent delightful tingles up Desislava's spine as he trailed his lips higher.

And when she grew tired of his teasing, she promptly pulled him to her lips in a harsh demanding way. There'd be more time to play after she ate a little bit, then she'd gladly take his teasing, and whatever else he wanted to give her.

Elijah watched completely enraptured as violet eyes glowed playfully at him through the darkness, spinning them with her own strength and speed to where she straddled his thighs. Pretty olive hands traveled up his chest, and Elijah watched in fascination as they turned into claws, tearing his shirt open.

Desislava smiles prettily down at him, and he watches as her hands trail back down his now bare chest, raking one of her sharp talons gently against Elijah's skin and giving him a slight cut. The Original doesn't flinch at the thin slice, and Desi would be lying if she said she didn't find it extremely attractive.

Bringing his blood on her finger towards her lips, she licks it gently, the violets of her eyes brightening momentarily before smirking hungrily down at the Original.

"Thank you for this meal, Elijah. I promise you that I'll do my best to satisfy you as well."

And then, she kissed him once again, his blood lingering on her lips as his mouth moved roughly against hers.

—

After hours of animalistic lovemaking, both Desi and Elijah were holding each other close, the latter already trailing his lips on the love bites covering her neck once again while her eyes fluttered closed in satisfaction. Then she remembered that she had a gift to give him. She lightly tugged on his dark brown locks, making Elijah look at her with those beautiful dark eyes of his.

"Elijah, I wish to tell you something since you've been such a lovely host this evening."

His dark brow furrowed as he trailed his hand over her flushed cheek before running a thumb across her beautiful lips. "What is it, Desislava?"

"This is my gift to you, Elijah. The Salvatore who staked you in that rundown mansion will be in Richmond tomorrow, at a certain coffee shop, and he'll be looking to get information about Klaus from that lackey of yours, Slater."

Elijah's eyes sharpened slightly before he nodded, brushing his lips against her cheek in gratitude, she hadn't needed to give him that information but he very much appreciated the chance to take a bit of vengeance against the elder Salvatore.

"I will take care of it tomorrow. However, I am nowhere near finished with you, Desislava."

Desi smirks up at the Original above her, entirely pleased with the quality of her meal so far— and eager to continue snacking with such a willing partner.

Elijah Mikaelson was a good man at his core, but he held a lot of guilt, shame, self-hate, and bitterness there as well. She wasn't sure what had happened to him over the last 150 years, but he seemed much more hardened now.

She was concerned for her friend and current lover.

Even at that moment, there was a shred of tangible grief in his eyes, and as much as she wanted to continue— she was his friend, first and foremost. His concerns were more important than her continuing to stuff herself silly with his supernatural manna.

Cupping his face with her soft palms, she smiles softly at Elijah when he leans into her hand placing a kiss on her palm. Looking at him worriedly, she asked while looking deeply into his eyes, "Are you alright, Elijah? You seem troubled. And, I don't mean troubled just by this moonstone business."

Exhaling slowly through his nose with a close of his dark, intelligent eyes, Elijah Mikaelson had to think hard on if he should inform Desi of his other siblings current status at the bottom of some ocean.

He didn't want to break her heart.

Desislava had been close to most of the Mikaelsons at one point or another, whether friendly, or otherwise. And while Desi did not take on lovers in the regular sense of the word, she did care for a handful of the people she had tasted throughout the years. And those that she did care for, she cared for _deeply, _as was in her nature.

While Desi never offered love on the table, she did offer companionship and loyalty outside of the reoccurring snacking between her and her friends.

She considered each of her friends a gift, and he knew as much because she had told him so, herself. If she discovered that there was no way to recover some of her favorites of the handful— them being Kol and Rebekah— well, frankly, Elijah had no clue how she'd react when she discovered their fates. Or how she would react to the news that the hybrid had gotten back into the habit of staking while she had taken an absence, and therefore, absconded with her ex-lovers.

"Desislava," he began with a heavy sigh, "Things have changed drastically within the family. Niklaus is the force that has divided our family forever. He cannot be redeemed, or acquitted."

Desi's finely-shaped dark brows screwed up in concern at what he was saying.

"Elijah, speak bluntly. What has Nik done that was so unforgivable?"

Frowning at the stone face Elijah gave her for a moment, she felt a swirl of fear in the pit of her stomach at the sight of it—knowing it meant nothing but heartache. The elder Original had a certain blunt way of relaying brutal information, so the succubus steeled herself for whatever he might say. Desi didn't want to believe Nik would do something so unforgivable as to make Elijah want to kill him.

And the alternative made her heart clench in pain at the thought of it.

"Desislava, he has staked and absconded with our siblings. He informed me, the last time we spoke, that he had let them sink to the bottom of the ocean. I'm sorry to inform you this way, but Kol and Rebekah have been lost," he finished, and the succubus froze.

Flashes of memories passed her mind.

—

_"You are the most delicious creature to walk this earth, darling," Kol whispered into dark, long locks, kissing up the line of bite marks up her throat. The long travel to Cagliari had been tumultuous, and Kol had been eager to get her in a bed as soon as they'd arrived._

_Desislava turned, her bruising throat already healing back to its golden shade as she smiled fondly down at the psychotic Original, wiping off a streak of blood from his mouth and looking down at the corpse on the bedroom floor._

_"Will you compel the help to clean? Or shall I this time?" She asked, moving to sit up before the blood coating their bodies got all dry and difficult to remove._

_—_

_Rebekah smiled sardonically at Desi, coyly peaking from behind a column at a ball. Desislava smiled back at the beautiful blonde warmly, flirtatiously pulling out her fan and fluttering her dark, hypnotic gaze at the Original as the blonde crossed the room._

_Following after her while avoiding onlookers and dancing couples alike, she follows the beautiful blonde out onto a balcony. The stars are bright, and the moonlight dances off of her pale skin like a dream. Intelligent blue eyes watched dark ones curiously for a moment before smiling._

_"Come to keep me company, my lady?"_

_Desi smiles back, "Perhaps."_

_—_

And then, Desislava remembered what Klaus had promised her. The very last time they had spoken, what he had said. A tight frown pulled at her face as she attempted to not let this distressing news ruin her evening.

She could grieve alone.

———

**Desi's POV**

———

_He is so very charming. He gives me a small smile as we danced around each other._  


_There was always something about this waltz that felt so intimate. Light touches, soft caressing, it all was so enticing, especially when it was with him. In fact, to me at least, everything about him was enticing. _

_My still heart felt like it fluttered at the look he sent me as we took another turn around each other. Maybe just this once, this happiness could be mine and mine alone. Perhaps I could let myself feel just this once. And as he takes my hand in his once more, I know that I'm much too late to try and make that choice now. _

_I'd already fallen too far to try and reach for safety now._

_———_

**Third Person POV**

**———**

Desislava was a very pleased woman in the early morning as she blinked into reality.

Not only had she fed on a glorious feast of a man, but everything that she had guessed would happen would most likely come to fruition today.

She found herself alone in Elijah's sheets, but that was to be expected— after all, the succubus _had_ given the Original some tasty info on someone who had disrespected him. Desi stood up and after looking at the time removed the sheets from herself unashamedly. After all, she had students to teach and it wouldn't be very professional of her as a substitute to be late for her class.

———

Caroline absolutely adored her new AP Art History teacher.

Ms. McCall was a woman that the blonde vampiress easily found herself admiring.

Beautiful, confident, and intelligent, she had quickly become many students' favorite teacher. Not to mention how many of Caroline's fellow students had a crush on her. If Caroline was honest with herself about it, and she didn't write off all of her feelings as admiration, she'd admit to having a little crush on the dark haired substitute as well.

As the substitute walked around the class, she spoke with eloquence and passion as she described many different artists of varying styles.

"Art, itself, is not something that is easily described, and that is precisely what describes art's majesty. It is everything and nothing at the same time. Art serves to challenge us and to soothe us, give us a sense of comfort and belonging but also reminding us of the edge, the constant shifting uncomfortableness of life. Which is precisely why your next assignment given by Mr. Allen is to be challenging your artistic comfort zone.

"You are to write an essay at least five pages long, of course with twelve font, double spaced, and in Times New Roman, on an artist or art style that challenges your perception of art and exactly how it makes you feel," the bell ringing signaled the end of Caroline's new favorite class, "and that'll be all for today. Have a wonderful lunch, students, don't choke on those tough burgers. Oh, and could a 'Miss Caroline Forbes' come up to my desk, please?"

Caroline blinked her cornflower blue eyes, a bit stunned.

Had she forgotten to turn something in? Or was this about student council?

_Heaven knows I can't have anymore on my plate after everything with Tyler, _she thought to herself, grimacing at the reminder of the overly curious werewolf.

The rest of the class filed out, taking their loud murmuring voices with them as Caroline walked up to Eve McCall's desk, AP Art History book in hand. Ms. McCall glanced up at Caroline before walking and gently shutting the door.

The blonde felt a sudden nervousness before her teacher spoke, "Relax, Caroline, you're not in any trouble. I just needed to talk to you about something before someone else did."

A blonde eyebrow quirked at Ms. McCall as the leggy brunette took a seat behind her desk, gesturing for Caroline to take a seat as well. The Forbes daughter promptly sat in the desk in front of the substitute as she narrowed her blue eyes, almost as if she'd get her answers just by staring hard enough.

The substitute folded her arms as she looked straight at the blonde, before starting, "Caroline, I want you to know that I thoroughly enjoy having you in my class. You're a very bright young woman and I can tell by your efficiency in school and your recreational activities that you are a young lady of substance. Therefore, I wanted to inform you of something very pertinent to your extracurricular activities outside of this school, as well as apologize to you."

The blonde's brows furrowed in confusion before Desi raised her hand as if to halt her questioning stare.

"Firstly, I want you to know that I'm very aware of the supernatural happenings in Mystic Falls, more importantly I know that you're a vampire." Cornflower blue eyes widened in shock as Desi continued, "However, you should know that your secret is very safe with me. I wanted to make you aware of things before the Salvatores informed you, so I'm negotiating a deal with them to save your friend, Elena, and I'm only here to help. But, I also want to apologize on behalf of my goddaughter, Katerina."

Caroline instantly shot up out of the desk, fear and anger making her eyes narrow at who she had thought was a regular teacher.

_Katherine's godmom?! Could absolutely nothing in this town be sacred?_

"Caroline, please," Ms. McCall's brown eyes bored into hers with such sincerity that it made the vampiress question her own doubts, "My goddaughter has done _terrible _things to continue living. She's a survivor at heart, and she doesn't care who she hurts if it means she can continue living. I'm sorry that you ended up becoming a victim to that flaw."

A small, self deprecating smile appeared on the brunette's lips, "You didn't deserve that. You're an absolutely lovely girl, and I am very, _very_ sorry that my daughter took the choice from you."

The blonde seemed slightly less 'full of disdain' and more 'on guard'.

Desi could definitely work with that, she just didn't want the blonde to hate her, especially since she was quite fond of Caroline. Desi smiled at the vampiress warmly before standing up and starting to erase her AP Art History lesson from the board.

Caroline assumed that the confession was over, but Ms. McCall suddenly turned her attention back to the blonde before she could move towards the door. "Oh, and there's another topic I must discuss with you, and that's my reason for being here at your school."

Caroline found herself confused yet again by the succubus.

The bad guys never usually said why they were here from the get-go. Katherine had just played coy in her games, constantly keeping the gang guessing, and Caroline had assumed that her godmother would play it the same way.

"Um... okay, I guess? Why are you here then, Ms. McCall?" The blonde asked, for some reason feeling shy at how the woman gazed intensely at her.

Ms. McCall smiled at her question in a way that made the vampiress' slow heartbeat race— it was like she knew _exactly _what the blonde was feeling.

"Well, for starters, that isn't my name. It's _Desislava,_" the foreign roll of Desi's tongue sent shivers up Care's spine, "but, since I like you, you can call me Desi. And I figured the easiest way to keep an eye on your _bestie _is by being in a place she's required to be for eight hours a day."

Caroline stifled a chuckle as Desi let out an exasperated sigh paired with a teasing roll of her dark eyes, "If she even _goes_ to school now, that is. How the hell are you kids keeping up at school when you're gone all the time?"

The blonde vampire shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "Well I'm guessing it has something to do with our teachers feeling _compelled _to let it slide."

This sent the succubus into a surprisingly pleasant bout of laughter.

"Fair enough, Caroline. I do truly hope that you can see past my goddaughter's misgivings, though. I'd like to be your friend at some point."

This caused the blonde to be a bit surprised, if not a bit on nervous, she had no idea if she could trust Ms. Mc— _Desi_, especially with her family's track record thus far. But, if there was one thing Caroline Forbes understood, she knew that a person could be _very _different than their family.

After all, the young vampiress herself was exceedingly different than her parents; so, who was to say that Desi was the same as her heartless goddaughter?

"We can be acquaintances. But, I promise if you do anything to hurt Elena, I'll be the one who ends you."

Desi had a small smirk on her soft pink lips as she nodded in acquiescence. She could work with acquaintances.

———

Desi walked up to the Mystic Grill, ignoring the ogling glances around her.

Now that school was over, she could definitely feel her hunger working back up. Sadly, a burger and a drink was going to have to cut it since she was feeling a rather strong bout of laziness work through her.

Not many knew this, but Desislava was a rather lazy creature.

Of course, she loved playing with people like pieces on a chessboard, but she preferred to be the mastermind behind the moves, lounging on a chaise longue, rather than an active player.

And the last couple days had proven to be _very _active.

Conveniently, a quick glance around the restaurant revealed several players that were on her board. Bonnie Bennett was standing with the younger Gilbert at a pool table; as well as Caroline and Stefan, who were sat at a table locked in an intense conversation that looked to be quickly turning into an argument.

"I— I can't tell you," Caroline said, her tone apologetic but firm.

"Caroline, Elena was _kidnapped_," Stefan replied, clearly distressed.

Desi's ears perked up at this, and she began listening intently as the younger Salvatore continued.

"She could have been killed, and you're seriously not gonna tell me where she is?"

Caroline threw down her fork in frustration, letting it clatter against the wooden table, "She's not in any danger! I would not have let her put herself in any danger."

Stefan's dark brows furrowed. S_eems to be a constant look for him, _Desi thought, amused.

"'Put herself in danger' where? What do you-," suddenly his handsome jaw locked in place, "She's with Damon, isn't she?"

Desi's dark eyes widened slightly at the drama of it all. _Was there trouble in paradise? Or was Elena a lot more like Katerina than any of her little friends were willing to admit?_

"Eww! No!" Caroline replied in a disgusted tone, it was fairly obvious that the blonde was _not _a fan of the older Salvatore.

_I wonder why_...

Stefan Salvatore was beginning to look rather desperate. Desi was feeling a bit concerned as well, because it was looking like the human doppelgänger was a flight risk, and that was _not _going to work for her original plan.

If she wasn't in any danger, and the blonde vampire knew where she was, then where could she—... Of course.

Desi promptly turned a black bootie towards the door, intent on getting to the catacomb as quickly as possible. Wasting that few minutes thinking about it had been burning daylight.

Desi hadn't given the doppelgänger enough credit. The succubus had thought that the teenager would let her vampire bodyguards do the work for her. She would have to take that rather interesting fact into consideration. The brunette paused though as she felt a rather strong wave of lust spike in the room. _Supernaturally _strong.

Desi turned back in the direction of the wave of emotion, knowing that because she hadn't moved quick enough, she'd have to change her initial plan. The succubus' large dark eyes met with dilated forest green, and she decided that she would use her quick thinking to assist the Salvatore.

After all, she really did want their deal to work out, especially since she needed to reform her plan around Elena's willful nature.

Stefan Salvatore had only half listened to Caroline's explanation on why she wouldn't give out Elena's location. He knew that he was being a bit unfair to her by using their friendship to try and get what he wanted.

A large part of him wanted to say that his concern for Elena's welfare was what distracted him, but that wasn't the _entire _reason why he was distracted.

_Desi. _

He felt his slow heartbeat speed up as he took in the leggy brunette. She was turned away from him, about to walk out the door, when she paused. Desi's shoulders stiffened slightly before she turned around. Large, familiar dark eyes pierced him as if she saw straight into his rotten soul.

Stefan couldn't tell what she was thinking— Desi's gaze was completely unreadable. Not unlike how Katherine's had been back in 1864.

The nearly overwhelming guilt and shame he had felt when first meeting her returned. _How could he be jealous over Elena and his brother when he was feeling so attracted to another woman?_

It only made Stefan despise himself more.

Of course, he knew that her being a succubus was a large part of it. Everything about her being was supposed to be a magnet to lure her food in. But, Stefan didn't know just how _strong_ the pull was supposed to be— and _that's_ what made him feel terrible.

_What if she wasn't releasing any of her pheromones? What if after you know what she is, her powers weren't as effective anymore?_

Stefan couldn't draw a line in the sand on where it was his own attraction started and Desi's powers ended.

Desi casually strode up to him, looking every bit like every boy's 'gorgeous teacher' fantasy. She gave him a small knowing smirk, and it made him feel all the worse.

A slim tanned hand patted his shoulder in a comforting way before she said, "Don't worry Stefan, it's nearly impossible not to."

Then the succubus promptly stepped back, and Stefan felt a hollow pang where her hand used to be. "Anyway, let's talk business. I hear you're looking for a doppelgänger?"

Immediately, green eyes narrowed to frigid chips of emerald.

"Did you have something to do with this?"

Desi scoffed, "Of course _not. _But, I've got a pretty good guess on where she'd go."

And with that, the succubus promptly grabbed hold of Stefan's wrist and pulled him out of the Mystic Grill.

———

Desi heard more than one person shuffling about the tomb as she and Stefan descended the stairwell, and was a bit excited. It wasn't everyday that you got to see and meet your goddaughter's clone.

It was sure to be a very interesting experience indeed. The younger Salvatore rushed down to the young girl and Desi took a moment to analyze her.

It was stunning just how _alike_ and _different_ she looked from Katerina.

Elena's dark eyes were almost doe-like in comparison to Katerina's, her goddaughter had a gleam of mischief that was lacking in Elena's. Pin straight dark hair framed the human's face and she was dressed like a normal teenager of the 21st century. It was definitely perplexing when compared to Katherine's much more adult attire. Hell, even their walk and posture was different. While Katerina had carried herself with a confidence that many women would kill for, Elena's was much more docile and meek.

But, Desi knew more than anyone that looks could be deceiving.

The girl had to be _quite_ the tamer with all of the supernatural characters who were willing to die for her.

_Very interesting. _

"Elena," Stefan sighed in relief as he rushed to her side, quickly looking her over for any injuries, and Desi found herself a bit bored watching their reunion.

"Stefan. What are you doing here?" She asked.

_Wow_, even their tones were completely different. There was no playfulness in her tone, just sincerity and concern.

"I could ask you the same question," Stefan replied stonily.

Elena sighed, looking away, "Caroline told you."

"No. She kept your secret—," Stefan was cut off by Desi.

"You can blame that bit on me," the dark-haired succubus confessed.

Elena Gilbert had met a lot of strange people within the last year, but when she locked eyes with the mysterious woman that she hadn't even noticed in the tomb before, she truly believed she had never met _anyone_ like her.

The woman was a supermodel, long dark hair slightly curled around an olive face. No, she was prettier than most supermodels the teenager had seen in magazines before. But it wasn't her attractiveness that spoke to Elena.

It was her eyes.

Large dark eyes that felt like she was looking into a mirror.

Elena felt like she _knew_ this woman, everything about her was so familiar and yet not, like a really intense case of dejá vu. Unfortunately, she had more important things to worry about, like how she was going to explain herself to Stefan.

Desi decided to take a step away from the couple as they started bashing out their problems. Frankly, she didn't care.

So, when she heard footsteps coming their way from within the tomb, she was delighted to have her favorite someone to distract her from the relationship drama. As Katerina went closer to the spellbound entrance of the cave, Desislava was glad to see that her goddaughter had taken her words to heart about keeping some of the blood bags for later on. She could definitely smell that Elena had given her some, but Katerina looked a bit better than she should have.

"Hello, _Mama,_" Katerina said in a slightly teasing tone as the light from the tomb illuminated her face, "I see you've brought company."

Both Stefan and Elena turned to the two Petrovas as Katherine spoke, the latter having a confused look on her face as she took in what was said.

Desi smiled adoringly at her Katerina, "Why, of course. I know you're bored down here, might as well pay a visit while I can."

Katherine have her godmother a small smile before turning her attention back to the younger Salvatore, "There's nothing you can do, Stefan. I haven't even told you the best part of the story."

Desi felt her mood darken as she realized exactly what story Katerina had been telling Elena.

And it wasn't a very good memory for _anyone _involved.

———

**Bulgaria, 1492**

_Katherine's horse galloped to almost three same speed as her racing heartbeat. _

_She was almost there, and she couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of relief at being home once again. Anywhere was better than with Klaus. _

_She slid off her horse as she approached the gate, and was stunned at what was before her. One of the stable boys had his throat ripped out, his dead flesh polluting the ground. Katherine could feel her heart nearly stop in fear as she ran into the house. _

Please god, _she prayed_, let me be wrong.

_She begged the heavens that she was wrong as she rushed into the house, finding her family's home completely littered with bodies. Some pinned to walls with their entrails ripped out, others decapitated. Her dark brown eyes would not stop pouring tears down her cheeks. She found her mother and father, completely in pieces, and felt herself breaking down._

_**Where's Mama Desi?**_

_The thought sent a sickening chill down her spine and she felt as if she'd throw up. Katherine turned to her Mama Desi's room, and let out a scream of absolute agony as she looked into her Mama's empty eyes._

_———_

"He killed them," Katherine stated, "My entire family. Just to get back at me for running."

Desi couldn't stop the churning in her stomach as she remembered her rather painful death. It was the one thing she wished she could have spared Katerina from seeing.

Elena couldn't stop herself from looking at Desi. She didn't know if she could believe what Katherine had said, but the constant churning of Desi's dark eyes did tell that something _awful _had happened.

"Whatever you do to escape Klaus; he will get his vengeance. On your friends, your family," Katherine paused as she glanced at her mother, she knew that what she was reminding Desi of was not pleasant, but as much as Katerina was sorry to hurt her Elena needed to know the risks, "on anyone that you've _ever_ loved."

The finality of that statement was jarring to nearly everyone in the room.

Stefan watched as Elena's soft brown eyes welled with tears before he quickly grabbed her shoulders, trying to jerk her away from Katherine's influence. There was no way in hell Stefan was going to let Elena get hurt, and he knew better than most that Katherine was a _liar_. "No, do not listen to her, okay?"

Even Desi had to roll her eyes at how delusional the Salvatore was being. Cute as he was, Desi realized just how right she had been when she said that he and his brother weren't that bright.

"Always the protector," Katherine said bitterly, and Desi could swear that it savored strongly of bitterness, "But, even you must realize that she's doomed. There's nothing you can do to stop it."

Desi wasn't 100% sure about that, but she honestly didn't care whether the other doppelgänger lived or not. As long as Katerina lived, she didn't really give a shit. She leaned back against the tomb wall as she waited for Katerina's punchline.

"Unless of course, you have _this_," Katherine teasingly said as she lifted the moonstone into view. Always playful, always cunning.

There was a small murmur of "what?" from Elena as Stefan turned to the two Petrovas in disgust.

"Oh no, there it is," he started, and Desi could feel an ounce of irritation run through her at how the vampire was pointing at them both accusingly. "That's the ultimate lie, isn't it? You spun this whole thing, so that we would have to get the stone from you, didn't you?"

Angry green eyes then focused on Desi, "And you, you're trying to help her get out of this, and _that's _why you said we should think about negotiating for the moonstone, right?" _Wrong, _Desi thought as she glared back at the handsome young vampire. _You are at least 10 steps behind for what I'm planning, and at least 5 behind Katerina._

"Everything Katerinasaid is true, _Salvatore,_" Desi's accent slipped out as she glared warningly at the vampire, "I'd watch your tone considering _I'm _not in the tomb."

"I didn't _spin_ anything, Stefan. It's the truth."

Stefan shook his head, promptly denying their replies. "No, let me guess. You wanna trade that stone for your freedom," an angry edge ground out in his voice as he tried to stay in a mocking tone, "Hmm? You _manipulative, psychotic **bitch.**_**"**

Desi's eyes hardened into shards of onyx and Stefan felt an involuntary chill run down his spine at the intensity of her glare. The succubus was about to push off the rock to fix his tone issue when Katherine raised her hand, halting her non verbally.

The younger Petrova scoffed at Stefan's bravado, he actually thought he had her figured out.

"My freedom? That's where you're wrong, Stefan. I don't want my freedom, because when Klaus shows up to kill us all— and he will— I'll be in the tomb, where no vampire will enter because they can't get out."

A smile of pure contempt worked its way onto Katherine's fox-like persona, and Desi knew that she was wearing a matching one.

_He was out-foxed with these two here._

"I'll be the _safest psychotic bitch_ in town."

And with that, Katherine retreated back into the familiar darkness of the tomb.

———

Both Elena and Stefan had made their way out of the mouth of the cave, when Desi suddenly appeared in front of Stefan. The succubus' glare was harsh and unwavering on the younger Salvatore's face, and Elena felt growing fear for her boyfriend. Stefan Salvatore on the other hand definitely felt intimidated, however he didn't want to acknowledge exactly why it felt like his heart was in his throat.

"_Mr. Salvatore,_" Desi began, her voice dark and unflinching in it's threat, "we have a business arrangement to keep your human safe that you haven't _actually _agreed to yet. So from a business perspective, I'd be within my bounds if I wanted to inflict bodily harm on you and those you care about," her glare snapped over to Elena briefly, and Stefan tensed.

He knew he wouldn't win in a fight between them but he sure as hell would try.

"So, do keep in mind that you should watch your tone with me and my loved ones, _boy._"

Stefan swallowed, his forest green eyes glaring right back at the beautiful woman's and it made Elena even more nervous.

_Who even was this woman? _

Obviously, she was related to Katherine— but Elena had no idea _how._ They looked like sisters, but they could easily be mother and daughter thanks to immortality.

Slowly, the vampire nodded before looking back up at Desi with softer eyes. "I apologize, I shouldn't have accused you just because you're Katherine's godmother."

It wasn't what Desislava wanted from the apology, but she'd make it work for the sake of the plan. As long as there weren't any other slip ups, the majority of their group would most likely make it out alive.

"Lovely. Now, let's go drop little Elena at home so we can go to the boardinghouse. Your brother has been blowing up my phone for the last two hours— and I'm sure you haven't talked to him yet. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the _Slater_ thing didn't end well."

———

**_A/n: Hey guys! Just so you know, my updates are going to be a little slow for a bit. I have some family things going on._**

**_!!ALSO!! I want to double check and see where we wanna draw the line in the sand for smut? Do you guys want it at all, do you want it detailed or simple? Etc. etc. _**

**_Let me know down in the comments!_**

**_———_**


	3. Three

"I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it."

—Audrey Hepburn

———

**_Chapter Three:_**

**_Change Of Plan_**

———

_"Lovely. Now, let's go drop little Elena at home so we can go to the boardinghouse. Your brother has been blowing up my phone for the last two hours and I'm sure you haven't talked to him yet. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the Slater thing didn't end well."_

_———_

Desi couldn't stop the entertained smile from spreading across her lips as she and Stefan came back into the house.

The lustful pheromones in the air were nearly overwhelming, and the succubus assumed that the eldest Salvatore and Rose clicked better than she had thought they would.

Although, he's probably using her to distract himself from Katerina's innocent double, Desi mused.

As she and the brooding younger Salvatore continued their journey further into the boardinghouse, they stumbled upon the rather interesting sight of Rose and Damon making out heavily on the chaise longue that Desislava had laid on during her prior visit.

With a slight wince, the succubus quickly made a mental note to avoid furniture that could be laid on in the future while within the boardinghouse.

With two of these hot blooded young vampires, especially one who was as well-renowned as Damon, she knew she never wanted to see this place under a black light.

Stefan was stunned to say the least and was very much rooted in place as the two older vampires took notice of them and promptly separated.

Rose felt panicked.

The green-eyed vampiress had let herself get swept away in her mourning of Trevor, and had found herself a friend in Damon, a development that neither of them had predicted. When they had gotten back to the boardinghouse, there was suddenly this electric tension in the air that was impossible to ignore, as if they were lost at sea and completely swept up in the tide.

Of course, she was attracted to the very handsome vampire—she wasn't blind— however, she didn't know what this meant for her and Desi.

Little did she know, Desi wasn't jealous or angry in the slightest.

The succubus felt a significant amount of amusement, actually, and wondered if they'd let her snack a bit with them.

"Well," Desi started jovially, "Isn't this an exciting development?"

If Damon could describe how he felt at the moment in one word, it would be conflicted.

He didn't know when the tension started ratcheting up with Rose, but it was there. He didn't know what he felt about Elena, and there was no way in hell he was going to dive into that.

What he did know was that he wanted Desi badly.

He had smelled her and Stefan the moment they had walked in, and he knew that his bad boy tendencies were very interested in playing with the demoness.

Said succubus had that same playful pout on her delectable lips that he had on his mind when he thought of her. All the vampires in the room couldn't help but be reminded of Katherine as they watched Desislava walking over to pour herself a glass of bourbon.

Was Desi not related to her at all? The resemblance was uncanny.

Dark eyes narrowed on the other three as she took a prim sip of the strong alcohol.

"Now, onto business as usual, starting with why you saw fit to blow up my phone when none of you have agreed to my terms. I thought we had made it clear that until you say yes, I owe you no loyalty, Damon. Was I wrong?"

Said vampire put on his signature smirk before replying in a fake friendly tone, "I thought that maybe you'd help out of the kindness of your not-so-beating heart."

Her laugh as clear as a bell rang out, "Salvatore, if there is one thing I am not, it's kind. Anyway, where's the fire? I'm going to guess things didn't go so well."

Blue eyes hardened into ice chips while his grin stayed on his face. Everyone else besides the two involved in a staring contest would have guessed that the elder Salvatore hated her.

Oh, but Desi knew better.

She could feel the barely suppressed lust for her radiating off of him, and she made it a mental note that if she needed a strong snack he was readily available, along with Rose. Desi had a good hunch that if she tried she could get both at once, and what a fun experience that would be. Not to mention a great way to get information.

However, Desislava was very interested in seeing how long the unattached, bad boy could resist. Or, if he actually would at this point.

Very interesting, indeed.

Rose decided to break the tension by responding to the given question, "Long story short, Klaus is very aware of what we're trying to do."

This made the succubus frown in thought.

She didn't think Nicky would catch on that fast, and if he was in Virginia already, she'd have to speed up her plans by quite a bit.

The next thing the vampiress said halted Desi's accelerated planning.

"Either he or one of his lackies shattered the glass windows in the coffee shop— right as we were discussing breaking the curse."

Oh, so, it was Elijah most likely. She would definitely message him to verify, but Desi had forgotten that they all thought that Originals died easily. Idiots.

Desi's slender hands clapped once, capturing everyone's attention as she locked her fingers together before pressing them thoughtfully to her lips. She was selling the act of being perturbed like a bonafide actress.

"If that's the case, you may have escalated our situation to where Klaus not only knows that Elena exists, he actually knows where Elena is. Let's hope he's not here already— but, I fail to see how this is my problem, considering I'm not part of your Losers' Club."

Stefan sauntered over to the bourbon besides Desislava before suggesting, "Well, your goddaughter is still locked in the tomb, and we're the only ones with the key to get her out."

Dark umber eyes glinted mischievously as they narrowed on Stefan, "Ah, you forget, Little Salvatore, that she is in the safest place she can be in this situation. Dare I say, she's much safer than your little doppelgänger. But, you could agree to my very, very lenient offer and we can quit playing around. If Klaus is here, you'll need all the help you can get. And probably a miracle."

Damon scoffed, but Stefan's forest green eyes betrayed just how nervous he was about the situation. "Damon, I think we should take her offer."

Bright blue eyes blinked incredulously at the younger brother. Damon knew he didn't have a secret ace in the hole to deal with this, and he hated it.

Damon Salvatore was used to having a plan B— but, without having a clear idea of what the sneaky succubus was getting out of it, he was out of luck. Especially since she was related to Katherine; and judging by the intelligent flicker in her dark eyes, they both shared a propensity for outwitting their opponents.

But, he'd just have to deal with her later. If he just knew a way to kill her, he wouldn't be nearly as concerned, but he was running out of options to save Elena.

"Alright, gorgeous; you got yourself a deal. Welcome to the Scooby Gang— let's hope we all don't die."

Perfect.

—

Humming as she walked the long trail to the tomb the next day, Desislava Petrova was a very pleased succubus.

Not only had the Salvatores accepted her offer, she had received verification from Elijah that he was the one who shattered the coffee shop windows, so Klaus was still unaware of Elena. This was going better than she'd hoped.

The succubus gleefully shoved the boulder over with ease.

She was always much stronger the morning after she ate, and the three human campers she sucked the life out of had been fulfilling to say the least. Poor little humans.

The supernatural could handle her— with a bit of difficulty depending on what they were and their age— but, humans couldn't survive how much Desi took.

Gleefully, the succubus crossed the spelled barrier of the cave and took in the sight of her poor, darling goddaughter.

She was dirty on the floor, still wearing the same dress. Desi had brought her extra clothes, but Katerina had suggested to stay in the dress as to not give off that she was much stronger than she was acting. Not to mention, there was nothing to bathe in within the catacombs, so it'd be a waste anyway.

"Zdravei, dearest. Are you alright?"

Large fox-like brown eyes looked up at her dully. Katherine rolled her eyes before standing up and dusting herself off.

"I'm so very, very bored, Mama. I thought that this would be a lot more fun, but I'm starting to prefer running from Klaus to this dusty cave."

Desi's brow arched, "Are you saying you're going to barter the moonstone to get out?"

Katherine was about to answer before they both heard multiple footsteps descending into the cavern very quickly. Twin brunette heads peaked around the corner of the cave they were nestled in, only to find the Brothers Salvatore.

"Is that you in there, Desi?" Stefan called out.

The Petrovas figured that the young vampires were hoping no one had released Katherine. Said younger Petrova walked forward weakly, and Desi was impressed by her daughter's acting prowess.

"Please," Katherine started, tiredly, "Come on in. There's plenty of room for all of us."

Desislava rolled her eyes as she sauntered into the light before leaning against the wall inside the cave. Damon, however, was leaned up against the wall of the entrance and after checking Desi out blatantly, he turned his attention back to Katherine.

"I'd rather poke my eyes out."

"Mmm, they're such pretty eyes," Katherine replied coyly.

"We're here for the moonstone," the younger Salvatore interrupted, before Damon could continue his banter war with Katherine, "Feel like tossing it over?"

Well, that's convenient, Desi thought with a small smile as she inspected her boots.

The cave was awfully dusty, she'd have to get them polished after this meeting was finished. They were idiots if they thought that Katherine wouldn't use this situation to her advantage though.

"Tell ya what, you get your little witch to hocus locus me out of here, you can have whatever you want."

There's my daughter.

Stefan cocked a thick brooding eyebrow before turning to Desi, "You're okay with that? After all wasn't she safer in here?"

Desislava chuckled at his attempt to ruffle her feathers, "Last I checked, Stefan, she was a grown woman. Katerina is fully capable of making her own decisions."

Green eyes then narrowed back on Katherine, "And, I thought you liked it in here. Nice and safe, where Klaus can't get to you."

Katerina let the jab roll off of her as she said, "I've had time to reconsider."

"Meaning you're hungry," Damon sarcastically put in.

"I'm starving, Damon," Katherine sighed, "And dirty. And above all, I'm bored. At least running from Klaus isn't boring. So, here's the deal— you get me out of here, you get the moonstone and I'll disappear from Mystic Falls forever." The cunning vampiress lifted the moonstone up teasingly, "Let me know what you decide."

Then, Katerina promptly turned back into the darkness of the cavern. Her godmother turned to follow but stopped at the sound of Damon clearing his throat.

"Come on, Desi, the Scooby Gang has got some work to do now. You're tagging along with us back to Elena's."

The beautiful succubus couldn't help but roll her large eyes at the baby vampire trying to tell her what to do. "I'll be back in a bit, dearest, gotta go see your knockoff."

———

The walk to the doppelgänger's home was interesting to say the least.

The succubus was walking between the brothers, and all was quiet— for a moment. Then, it started with Damon opening his big— albeit, attractive— mouth.

"If we're gonna keep doing business, you need to knock off the secret visits with our ex."

Dark eyes sharpened slightly, but otherwise, the succubus seemed completely unperturbed.

"Well, Damon, unless you have something to offer me— _no._ I've already stated what I'd do for your clone, and I refuse to be removed from my goddaughter's presence again. This is the first time I've been with her in 500 years, and if you attempt to stop that, I promise that you will all pay dearly."

Blue clashed with umber in a heady glare at the threat, but Desi's gaze stayed firm and sincere. Damon finally rolled his eyes, trying to ignore what her intense stare had made him feel as he licked his lips.

The younger Salvatore watched the interaction tensely, partly worrying what exactly Desi would do when she discovered their plan to take the moonstone from Katherine by force, and partly wondering how she had gotten his brother to back down— albeit, very reluctantly.

Finally, they had reached the sun bleached house of the Gilbert's and Stefan promptly knocked, hoping that Elena was free so they could all discuss the issue.

As Elena opened the door, she wasn't that surprised to see Stefan and Damon there. They had been coming over frequently to discuss Klaus, Katherine, Desi, and all the rest of their mess. The doppelgänger was, however, surprised to see Desi with them. Warm green eyes filled with affection held hers as she looked at him in question.

"Can we talk?" He asked semi-awkwardly.

"Why?"

Stefan looked back at Damon asking with his eyes for him to explain instead. The younger brother hated giving Elena bad news because of how much she worried and blamed herself.

Damon then fixed his blue eyes onto Elena's innocent form, "We went to see Katherine."

Immediately, understanding filled her warm brown eyes as she let them in. She blinked in surprise as Desislava let herself in first, shooting a questioning glance to the Salvatores.

The elder muttered in reply, "_Succubus_ rules."

The succubus was sat on top of Elena's kitchen counter checking her manicured nails as the brothers regaled the human with what all happened in the tomb.

"You don't believe her, do you?" Elena asked after absorbing the information.

"No," Damon started as he grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl, "Of course not. We just want the moonstone."

With that, Stefan cut in, "According to Rose's friend Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break."

And once again Damon added, "No spell, no doppelgänger sacrifice. Ergo, you live."

Desi's brow furrowed at the shear stupidity of the vampires. Did they think Klaus wasn't going to seek retribution?

Desi primly coughed to get their attention before saying with a cold smile, "Were you all born yesterday? You can't be so hopelessly optimistic as to think Klaus is going to snap his fingers like Swiper the Fox and say 'aw, man, guess that's that!' and leave. I died during Klaus' last temper tantrum over the curse, along with my entire family outside of Katerina. And that was just for making him wait longer to break the curse, not destroying it. He will burn this town and everyone in it till there's only embers. Not only will Elena die— everyone will, you wankers."

Only by the end of her rant did she realize she had slipped into her Bulgarian accent— and not only that, she had said Rebekah's favorite insult. That bit made her wince in grief.

Bekah.

Elena's eyes widened in fear as she heard the truth in Desislava's words. Her whole family would die if they did this, and she wouldn't survive a world without them if she managed to escape like Katherine. She could feel herself getting worked up and panicky, like she was trapped in a small space. Damon and Stefan, however, were wearing matching raw glares at the succubus. If Elijah was that easy to get rid of they could definitely handle this Klaus prick.

"Thank you," Damon started sarcastically, "oh-trustworthy coworker. Now, let the grown ups talk."

As soon as he finished that sentence, Desi was on him in a flash, holding his throat in her hand as her eyes flashed a violent shade of purple. Her glare on the struggling vampire was unflinching, and as she heard Stefan and Elena start to move towards her, she turned her sharp penetrating gaze on them both. The doppelgänger froze, and Stefan felt a dangerous chill run up his spine warning him not to take another step closer.

Desi then turned back to Damon who was currently struggling to break her wrist to trigger his escape.

"Watch your tone with me, _boy._ I will not be disrespected."

Then, she promptly dropped him before hopping back on the counter, looking at her phone.

Damon rubbed his rapidly healing neck, trying to catch his breath.

She was insanely strong, and didn't follow orders that went against her interests well.

Concerning— to say the least— but, Rose had done something similar when he threatened her, so he wasn't too worried about it. Brushing himself off he glanced at Stefan and Elena's worried expressions, before shaking his head, "Back to business. We're gonna break it. But, we appreciate your input, Desi."

Said succubus rolled her eyes as Elena finally snapped back to the conversation, "How do you destroy it?"

In an attempt to make Elena relax again, Stefan leaned onto the kitchen island lazily before replying, "By releasing it from the moonstone."

Duh.

Desi could see that Elena saw the reason in her words and was getting frustrated with the rescue attempts, so she wasn't surprised when she asked intuitively, "How do you guys even know this is gonna work?"

Damon quipped, "'Cause we have a crafty witch on our side."

Desi lazily corrected, "A baby witch," which earned her yet another pair of hard glares from the Brothers Salvatore.

"You discussed it with Bonnie," the doppelgänger stated rather than asked.

Stefan saw how frustrated Elena was beginning to get and tried to soothe her with a shake of his head by saying, "She agreed to do anything to help us."

"It's Katherine who has the moonstone," Elena didn't notice her volume steadily rising with her nerves, "She's not going to give it to you."

Now that was insightful, Desi thought to herself.

Elena was 100% correct. Katherine would probably take the moonstone for herself to broker a deal for her freedom from Klaus.

Stefan, always eager to appease Elena and forgetting Desi momentarily, immediately soothed, "We're gonna get it from her."

Dark eyes shot up, paying very close to what the Salvatore had said.

Damon rolled his eyes at Stefan's idiocy before correcting, "What he means to say, is that we will pry it from her co— her hands if we have to. You got a problem with that, Desi?"

She let the thought tumble around her head for a moment before shaking her head in acquiescence.

"As long as she lives, that's what I care about. That's why when you execute this plan, I'm going as insurance. For her sake."

Stefan cocked a brow in confusion at that, "I thought you said she was a grown woman who could make her own decisions? Doesn't she want to leave?"

A small smile graced her pretty pout and both vampires felt their slow hearts skip a beat, "She is an independent woman who can very much make her own decisions. That being said, so am I."

Stefan shook himself out of his stupor, how could he do that in front of Elena?

"Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it."

Sassily, Elena quipped, "Wow, I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out."

The elder Salvatore either didn't notice her tone or didn't acknowledge it, "Yup. We're awesome."

"Except for one thing. I don't want you to do it."

Desi's eyes widened slightly as everyone in the room was stunned by what Elena said. The succubus had once again made a mistake about Elena's character.

_Did the human truly want to make this sacrifice for them?_

Desi felt her opinion of Elena shift to a more positive light. The human's efforts were noble even though it was abundantly clear by her vampire protectors' reactions that she wouldn't get her way.

Vampires.

So possessive.

"What are you talking about, Elena," Stefan questioned incredulously, "We don't have a choice."

"What about Klaus?" She asked, clearly pointing to the glaring issue neither of the brothers were comforting her on.

"We'll find him," The blond said emphatically, "But, after we get the moonstone."

"Is that before or after he kills everyone I care about—including the two of you?"

Desi smiled, "Good! You're not all insipid."

Stefan groaned in frustration at Desi before turning back to Elena with increasing desperation, "Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life."

It's fairly obvious that's not what she wants.

"I know. Everybody keeps saying that."

And with that, the young human turned out of the kitchen, leaving two angry vampires and one very entertained succubus to their thoughts.

———

"Rosie Posie!" Desislava called into the entryway of the Salvatore boardinghouse, letting herself in since she knew Damon and Stefan were not here.

Adjusting the donut shop bag on her wrist, she pulled down her Ray Bans, walking into the kitchen without hearing a reply back to her shout. She could feel the vampiress' energy vibrating off of the gauche walls of the house, she just needed to wait for Rose to head her way.

Desi took a deep inhale through her nose as she waited for the green-eyed vampiress.

_This was exceedingly difficult._

She was having difficulty finding joy in much today, her heart heavy with what Elijah had informed her. What had happened to Kol and Bekah.

What Klaus had done.

Desislava rapidly blinked, snapping herself out of an subconscious watery-eyed stupor as Rose came into the kitchen— bright and glowing, if not a bit nervous. And wasn't she a treat to look at. Desi recognized the slim curves of Rose's figure from beneath her purple silk kimono, and she salivated at the thought of getting a quick bite to eat.

Looking flushed, Rose was decidedly nervous.

Rose had thought, at first, that the intruder was Damon, and she was extremely glad that she hadn't called down to him flirtatiously as she had planned. Hearing Desislava's melodious voice through the hallways had been more than enough to make the vampiress jump naked out of bed and put on a quick robe to greet her. The vampiress firmly decided that the rush was worth it as Desi greeted her with a warm smile.

"I brought rations," the succubus joked, tossing Rose the donut bag.

Catching it with ease, she smiles down at the thoughtfulness of Desi bringing her breakfast. _Maybe the succubus wanted the same thing she did?_

She could never tell with Desislava.

But, when she moves to ask, there's another intruder at the front door. Both women sped to the entryway to see who their guest was, and were both surprised when they spotted the human doppelgänger, Elena Gilbert.

Dark eyes flickered curiously at the young human, trying to accurately determine her goal for being here when she knew that Elena knew that the vampiress who orchestrated her kidnapping was here, alone.

_What could she possibly have up her hard-headed sleeve?_

"Oh, Elena," the vampiress greeted in surprise, narrowing her intelligent eyes at the young human. She too was increasingly suspicious of Elena's presence in the house without the brothers.

Both supernatural women watched the young human girl's doe eyes widen at the sight of Desislava behind the robed vampiress' shoulder with interest, trying to discover her intentions.

Elena Gilbert, on the other hand, was rapidly trying to change her plan of approach to get Rose to hand her over to Klaus. She didn't want any of her family dying for her sake, and with the status of Desi's opinion of her, she had no idea whether or not she'd go for the same thing.

This was Katherine's godmother. She had no reason to let Elena run off to Klaus— _especially_ considering Katherine's status as a Salvatore prisoner.

Desislava Petrova was already five steps ahead of the young girl's thought process— quickly deducting that considering Elena's funk this morning in the Gilbert's kitchen must have something to do with this, and deducing that the girl is probably on a suicide mission.

Now, usually, Desislava would have immediately put a stop to this.

The doppelgänger's headstrong attitude was going to draw all the wrong kinds of attention— and she didn't mean Klaus. The Petrovas were somewhat infamous around supernatural circles thanks to the failed curse-breaking five hundred years prior, so a lot of people had their eyes out for them.

Not to mention, Desislava had amassed quite a reputation for herself as well.

In fact, it was a _miracle _that Stefan and Damon hadn't heard about any of this from someone else in their last hundred and some change years— but then again— they were young, obsessed with love, and relatively stupid.

However, none of this mattered at the moment to the Petrova succubus.

All she could see was an opportunity to get Klaus to explain himself.

And if not explain himself— then she'd decide right then and there to never look back.

The dark-eyed succubus would never again feel guilt for anything she did to Klaus Mikaelson in an attempt to get her daughter free of him, if she found out that what Elijah had said was true.

If they were _truly_ at the bottom of the ocean— she would _never _forgive him.

Desi wouldn't let her affection for Klaus Mikaelson steal the one thing that had made her happy since she had to leave the Original family's side in the first place. She wouldn't let him take the last family member she had left, even if she died trying.

But, she needed to know the truth first.

Katherine would be able to handle herself against the Salvatores today, she was sure.

What Desi wasn't aware of was her fatal flaw that always seemed to shine through where Klaus Mikaelson was involved: she got reckless. Something about the hybrid had always made her jump the gun where she never would have otherwise.

He was very good at making her angry.

And so, the succubus fed herself the excuse of getting the truth for purely Kol and Rebekah's sake— that her goddaughter was five hundred years-old and could handle anything the Salvatores could throw at her.

Mentally, the succubus hoped that Elena had some lie made up already that would assuage Desi from the majority of the responsibility, and potential Damon-scolding, after.

So, not for the first time in her extensive life, Desislava decided to play the fool.

Rose subconsciously tugged on the tassels of her robe, realizing that no matter who— whether it was Desi or Damon that Elena thought the vampiress had slept with— it was still weird to walk in on the not-so-dressed vampiress.

"I-I.. Uh..," Elena stuttered out, not knowing how she felt about the implications of Rose and Desi sleeping together. She wasn't anti-gay, or anything like that— she just couldn't see Desislava with Rose.

_Maybe it was with Damon?_

Said vampiress decided to put the awkward stuttering girl out of her misery, noticing the playful curl of Desi's lip out of the corner of her eye.

"There's no one else here besides us," she assisted, assuming the doppelgänger would be looking for one of her vampire beaus.

Let it be known that while Rose was friendly with Damon, she didn't like the continued encouragement from Elena. The doppelgänger was well aware of who's ex she looked like, and Desislava and Rose could both agree that the girl should've had enough tact to be careful in how she dealt with the handsome vampire.

Frankly, Desi couldn't understand why the girl was entertaining _either _brother.

It was obvious that psychologically-speaking, both brothers were _not _over Katherine whatsoever, so they were desperately clinging to the version of Desi's goddaughter that treated them nicely. They wanted a Katerina Petrova that was sweet, kind, and forgiving. They wanted a Katherine that wouldn't be selfish with her love.

None of the qualities the doppelgänger vampiress really embodied.

"Actually, I came to talk to you..," the human girl slowly replied, giving Desislava a look to indicate that she meant that Desi needed to get gone.

"Anything you need to say in front of me, you can say in front of Desi. She's trustworthy," The vampiress affirmed, making the succubus' brain start to think— not only of Rose, but to re-analyzing their assumed relationship.

That was something you said of someone you deeply cared about.

Desi would have to think seriously on if she thought it was prudent to make an often meal of Rose during her stay in Mystic Falls. A superpowered meal close by was definitely a necessity, but Desi didn't want to leave someone she actually liked with a broken heart when she left with Katerina.

"Um..," Elena paused, thinking briefly on whether or not to try to get Desislava to leave again, or try to trick the succubus into delivering her to Klaus, as well. Quickly deciding on the former, she found herself not knowing how to start the conversation— instead, she awkwardly stared at Rose's flimsy purple robe.

"Then, I should probably get dressed," Rose awkwardly assisted yet again, not knowing why Desi had only been watching this entire time.

The scantily vampiress sped off to her and Damon's room with a confused furrow on her brows, while Desi continued to smirk knowingly at the young doppelgänger, making Elena feel as if she could see right through her.

"... I-," Desislava quickly cut her off with a press of her slender finger to her own pouty lips, playfully smiling at her momentarily before mouthing something that made the girl freeze.

_Klaus?_

Unsure of what to do now that she had clearly been caught, Elena's thin brows furrowed in deep confession when the succubus smiled brightly at guessing right. Desislava just taps her finger on her mouth twice, again in the 'shh' motion just as Rose appears in the entryway once again, freshly dressed.

"Good to see you've been entertaining our guest, Desi. Let's move this party to the living room, shall we?" Rose quipped sarcastically, not knowing what was going on with the succubus.

_Why had they been silent the entire time?_

The vampiress didn't know for sure— but, she could guess it had something to do with Elena looking like a cheap-knockoff of Desislava's goddaughter.

While Rose despised Katherine for everything she had done, her current opinion of the 'evil' doppelgänger was somewhat better than her opinion of Elena.

She could acknowledge which doppelgänger was superior without getting bitter about it.

And with that, the three women proceeded into the living room, Elena and Desi quickly perching on separate couches as Rose quickly lit the fireplace before turning back to Elena.

"So? What's with all the cloak and daggers?" Rose finally asked after Elena didn't immediately jump in to explain her sudden visit.

_Were teenagers always this.. **awkward?**_

Rose couldn't remember for sure, but she knew it was annoying now.

Elena Gilbert licked her lips, as if to help make the words sound smoother when she finally said, "I want more information about Klaus. And the only way to get any straight answers is from Slater."

_Not the best lie, but it'll do, _thought Desi.

The immediate response from Rose was the correct one— an automatic, "That's a bad idea," leaving her lips as she looked down at the sitting doppelgänger.

The teen seemed to have been prepared for the immediate refusal, immediately replying, "No, it isn't. Your friend, Slater, obviously has more information about Klaus. You and Damon just gave up before you got it."

Dark brow arching in amusement, Desi watched on, curious to see how the five-hundred year-old vampire took the blunt disrespect from the vampire equivalent of a toddler.

"Because a coffee shop blew up with us _in_ it," Rose immediately rebuffed, scoffing at the little human's boldness.

If Damon didn't love her— she swore she'd snap the little doe-eyed girl's neck without another thought.

Elena's eyes were firm, and unflinching as she watched the vampiress, glancing briefly at the still-smirking Desi, before she looked back at Rose.

"There's still more to learn. We just have to find a way to learn it," Elena said, sending Rose into an eyeroll so powerful she actually turned away from the doppelgänger.

That was, until the vampiress once again questioned herself on why the human was even here to begin with— and for that matter— why Elena wasn't discussing Klaus with the Salvatores.

"Why are you coming to _me_ with this?" Rose asked suspiciously, and Elena watched as Desi's grin widened more.

Desislava was very amused watching the little human attempt to lie her pants off. Elena obviously wasn't very good at manipulating now, but if she had any Petrova blood in her— she'd get the hang of it quick.

"Because you owe me," the doppelgänger quickly ramified, making herself sound like an asshole. "One word from me, and Damon and Stefan could have killed you for kidnapping me."

Rose decided to call the doppelgänger on her bluff.

"_Or, _maybe it's because you know they wouldn't want you doing this," the vampiress deduced, "And their moonstone caper gives you a chance to sneak away."

Properly caught, the doppelgänger finally digressed.

"We're having a disagreement, okay?" Elena finally admitted, "They're willing to risk everyone that I love, and I'm not. Desi was right this morning. If this doesn't work, Klaus _will_ kill everyone I've ever cared about _and_ me."

Desislava spoke for the first time since their encounter.

"You're not wrong, Elena. Perhaps there's more information to be found with this 'Slater.'" She lied.

Odds were, Slater was dispatched by Elijah now.

But— if Elena _was _trying to contact Klaus, and this Slater _did _house the information Elena was looking for— then, all the more easy for Desi to get to the truth by tagging along. The Original hybrid was _not _an easy man to find if he wasn't looking for you first— so, any leads to how to find him was pertinent.

Rose found herself in the bizarre place of disagreeing with Desislava, but somehow still agreeing to take Elena and her to Richmond. Of course, the doppelgänger's offer of a daylight ring helped— but, she couldn't deny the tiny bit of nagging guilt as the three of them drove off.

She knew they were going to be in _big _trouble with a pair of vampire brothers if they didn't come back with some _great _intel.

And even then, it might not be enough.

———

**_A/n: Hey guys! Finally got something new for you all in this chapter from the last book! I hope you guys enjoyed the latest chapter of the Other Petrova._**

**_———_**


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